Resident doctors at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, have threatened to embark on an indefinite strike if the lingering electricity crisis at the hospital is not resolved within three weeks, warning that the situation is already undermining patient care and medical training.
The doctors, under the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), said the persistent power outage has pushed the premier teaching hospital to the brink, forcing it to function under conditions they described as unacceptable in modern healthcare.
Speaking exclusively to BusinessDay on Monday, Uthman Adedeji, ARD UCH president, said the doctors had already issued a 21-day ultimatum beginning March 7, 2026, after an earlier five-day warning strike failed to produce any meaningful response from the hospital management.
“We embarked on a five-day warning strike from Monday to Friday last week. When we returned to work on Saturday, the situation had not changed,” Adedeji said.
Read also: Strike: Resident doctors give FG 24 hours to meet demands after talks
“That was only a warning strike because we are trying to follow due process and resolve the issue responsibly. Unfortunately, since our warning strike ended, we have not been called to any meaningful meeting for discussion or resolution,” he added.
He warned that if the situation remains unchanged after the ultimatum expires, resident doctors may proceed with an indefinite strike.
According to him, it is unacceptable that a leading teaching hospital in 2026 is struggling with a basic utility such as electricity.
“A teaching hospital in 2026 is being forced to operate like a facility from a bygone era,” Adedeji said, stressing that the doctors’ demands are focused on restoring adequate power supply to both clinical and residential areas of the hospital.
“Our fight is not for personal gain but for acceptable service delivery and proper training. Our demands are legitimate and non-negotiable,” he added.
The electricity crisis at UCH dates back to October 26, 2024, when the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company disconnected the hospital from the national grid over an outstanding debt of N495 million.
The disruption has severely affected hospital operations. At one point between November 2024 and February 2025, the facility reportedly experienced a total blackout for 102 days.
Read also: Resident doctors warn of imminent collapse of healthcare system, urge Tinubu’s intervention
Reacting to the situation, the public relations officer of the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Workers (NAUPHW), UCH chapter, Daniel Adejobi, said the crisis remains unresolved.
“There is no resolution yet as we speak. The matter has not been resolved,” Adejobi said.
